Safe, Good Drink

Posted on Dec 17, 2012 in Hiroko's Blog

The article in the New York Times – News for brominated vegetable oil: Drink Ingredient Gets a Look – was a disturbing and again, alarming one, even though I do not consume any soda drinks nor healthy/energy drinks. If you are thirsty, try kikucha, twig tea. Kikucha has become very popular at the time of the introduction of macrobiotic diet. Kikucha, twig tea, is mostly made of tea twigs along with few tea leaves. There are green Kikucha and roasted brown Kikucha. I prefer roasted one over the green variety because brown Kikucha has distinctive mellow sweet toasty flavor without astringency. Brown Kikucha is also very low in caffeine.

There are several Kikucha products available in America. I like the one called HAIKU. The tea is made in Japan and USDA certified organic. The best way to brew the Kikucha is to add a tea bag to 2 to 3 cups cold water in a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. It is delicious hot and cold.